At Powell Law, one of our areas of practice revolves around personal injuries, especially those suffered in motor vehicle accidents. Our attorneys, past and present, have represented motor vehicle accident victims for 113 years.
Data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicates that for many years the number of law enforcement officers killed violently in the line of duty far surpassed the number of those who were killed in motor vehicle crashes. However, this trend changed in middle of the 1990s and since this time, motor vehicle accidents have become the major cause of fatality for law enforcement officers.
Research conducted by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reviewed the deaths of 684 law enforcement officers over the five-year period from 2010 to 2014 and found that 272 officers died from involvement in a motor vehicle crash or from being struck by an automobile. The report also stated that “a large number of the crashes investigated were not related to either a call for service or a case of self-initiated activity.”
The report expressed a need for law enforcement agencies to encourage officers to wear seat belts and issued body armor, but especially to slow down when responding to calls, including “Officer Needs Assistance” calls which accounted for 53% of officer traffic-related deaths. Law enforcement deaths in 2015 increased by 1% from 2014 and 9% from 2013. Of the 123 officer deaths in 2015, 48 were caused by traffic-related incidents compared to 41 that were the result of shootings.
In some circumstances, accident victims may have a cause of action against a government agency. If you require legal assistance in litigating a claim for damages resulting from a personal injury, contact Powell Law. Our long history of success in representing the residents of Northeastern Pennsylvania makes Powell Law the clear and obvious choice for representation in personal injury matters. Contact Powell Law at (570) 961-0777 or visit us online. The consultation is FREE and you don’t pay unless we win!
